Continuing to Wander Tokyo
February 2025 Here are some more random things from Tokyo that caught my eye. Fifteen years ago, Tokyo architect Keisuke…
Tokyo
Wandering Tokyo Finding Shrines and Such
March 2, 2025 Kira Yoshinaka was a high-ranking samurai immortalized in Japan as the notorious villain in Chushingura, the story…
Sumo Practice
February 2025 I love Sumo and was able to visit the Tatsunami beya (stable) for a practice. It was 1…
Wandering Tokyo
February 2025 I have been to Tokyo several times, so this trip involved showing my sister and niece around, shopping…
Going to the the Dogs and Cats
February 2025 Tokyo Toyokawa Inari Akasaka Shrine The Toyokawa Inari Shrine was established in 1828 at its present site. The…
Odds and Ends As I Leave Tokyo
January 2024 Chiyoda City, Tokyo All shrines are packed to the gills during New Year’s, and Hie is no different.…
Aoyama Cemetery
January 2024 It is my last full day in Japan, and I spent it at the Aoyama Cemetary. If you…
Japanese Fences
December 2023 I love the uniqueness of Japanese fences. Japanese-style fences, or “Sukiya-zukuri,” are rooted in traditional Japanese architecture—their origins…
Tokyo Architecture that has caught my eye.
November 2023 I love Tokyo for its rich history and cutting-edge modern architecture, and it is all jumbled together. Much…
Beauty and Uniqueness Everywhere You Look
December 2023 There are always things when you travel that catch your eye. In the garden at Nijo-jo Castle, there…
Happy New Year – 新年あけましておめでとう
Tokyo January 2024 New Year is the most important holiday in Japan. I have moved to the New Otani Hotel…
Tamozawa Imperial Villa
December 2023 Tamozawa Imperial Villa is one of the largest remaining wooden buildings in Japan. It was the largest mansion…
Kabuki and Sumo
December 2023 Kabuki is thought to have originated in the early Edo period, when the art’s founder, Izumo no Okuni,…
Kappabashi – Taito City – Tokyo
December 2023 I love the off-beat you find in our world, and Japan specializes in it. Here are just a…
Edo-Period Architecture of Hama-Rikyu
December 2023 I have a passion for Edo Era architecture and gardens. Hama-rikyu Gardens has three beautifully restored Edo-period buildings.…
The Rivers of Tokyo
December 2023 More than 100 rivers and canals flow beneath Tokyo. According to the Government of Japan in 2015: “The…
Tokyo’s Fishmarkets
December 22, 2023 I had the privilege of visiting the original inner Tsukiji fish market fifteen years ago when you…
Tokyo Tower
November 19, 2023 This is not my first trip to Japan. It is one of my favorite countries to explore.…
Finding the Ancient Among the Modern
November 19, 2023 Zojoji was founded by the priest Yuyo Shoso in 1393 as the first Jodo Buddhist practice hall…
Ueno Tokyo
November 2023 For my first week in Tokyo, I am staying in the Ueno district in Taito Ward. The biggest…
The Hotel New Otani Garden of Tokyo
January 2018 Most large, high-end, hotels place a Japanese restaurant near some form of Japanese Garden, the Hotel New Otani…